Rail joint



May 22, 1923. 1,455,814

S. SHULL RAIL JOINT Filed June 12, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 22, 1923.

s. SHULL [RAIL JOINT FiledUuhe 12 1922 [mawr Swami fia SHULL RAIL JOINT May 22, 1 9123.

FiledJune 12. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 SAMUEL SHULL, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL JOINT.

Application filed June 12, 1922. Serial No. 567,565;

T 0 all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, SAMUEL SHULL, a citizen of Russia, residing at Philadelphia, in the county ofv Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Joints,- of which the. following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail joints and the object, thereof is to provide an improved joint construction for connecting the adjacent ends of rail sections so as to present a substantially continuous rail; to provide for displacement of the ends caused by expan sion and contraction; to obviate the use of fish plates and bolts or other similar. fasten ings, thereby reducing the possibility of tampering. with the joints, and to facilitate the connection and disconnection of the rail sections.

These objects, and other advantageous ends which will be described hereinaftenl attain in the following manner, reference bei'ng had to the accompanying drawings in which- I w r Figure 1 is a disassembled side elevation showing the adjacent ends of two rail sections equipped with the improved joint,

Figure 2 isa similar view with the parts.

assembled, v

Figure 3 is a central horizontal sectional planthrough the web of the joint,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the line 44 of Figure 3 withthe intermediate portion in elevation,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a connecting part employed in connection with the joint,

Figure 6 is an end view of, the part in Figure 5,

Figure 7 is'abottom view of one end of the connecting art shown in Figures 5 and 6,

Figure 8 is a plan view of one end of a rail section, and

Figure 9 is an end view of the part shown in Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings, the rail ends are designated at 12 and 18 and each is provided with an extended thickened web por tion 14 produced by cutting off the ball or tread portion 15 to the web so that the web 14 and the base 16 project from the end of the ball portion. The web 14' has vertical lateral extensions or ribs 17 and the end is undercut or beveled as indicated at 18. The opposite flanges of the base 16 are recessed at shown each side of the web as indicated at 19 so that a connecting part 20 which connects the rail ends, may rest therein. Connecting part 20 has extensions 21 provided: with sockets 22 to receive the web portions of the rail ends. The sockets have walls 23 inclined at an anglein the same general direction as the undercut or beveled ends 18 of the web portions 14:.

The opposite sides of the extensions 21 at the inner faces thereof are provided with vertical notches 24: communicating with the bottom edges of the sides of the extensions 21 which are open at the bottom, by reason of the ends of the base flange 25 being cut away, except that the base flanges project beyond the intermediate recesses or notches 26- to provide openings in the bottom of the joint for a purpose to be hereinaftermorefullyset forth. The lateral extensions or ribs 17 may be of'convex or other cross section and the notches 24:- are beveled toward the end walls 23 so as to allow slight longitudinal displace ment to-compensate for contraction and expansion.

Wedges 27 are fitted between theinclined connecting member is droppedinto position as described, when the sockets 22 receive the extended web portions 14, the wedges 27 are confined in the sockets against the inclined walls 23 by inserting ins 28 in openings 29 in the sides of the extensions 21. Upon removing the pins, the wedges will drop or wedgebetween the adjacent beveled ends 18 and 23 The rail sections and connecting;

andprevent displacement orliftingoutof I the connecting member, so that the liability of the joint being tampered with is reduced to a minimum and the use of fish plates, bolts or other fastenings which are likely to get loose, is obviated.

The pins 28 may be inserted to hold the wedges beneath the ends 18 and against the walls 23, instead of in the position shown in Figure 4 when serving to free the ends of the rail sect-ions from the connecting member, so that the connecting member may be lifted out of position together with the wedges, when it is desired to eflect the disof an instrument at the bottom when the ends 18 and 23 oppose each other, in order that the wedges may be placed into the cutout portions or sockets 22 and against the member may be removed and also that the wedges will-not drop out of position when the parts arebeing assembled or'disassem bled. This construction is used in lieu of or in conjunction. with the pins 28;

While I have described my invention 'as taking a particular form, it will be understood that the various partsof'my invention may be changed without departing fromthe spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am at liberty tomake such changes and alterations as fairly come within the Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A rail joint comprising ends of rail sections having projecting portions; a connecting member-between the pro ecting portions having sockets to receive the same;

means in the sockets to limit longitudinal movement o-fthe projections, and meansin' the sockets for preventing vertical movement ofthe connecting member.

2. A rail joint comprising ends of rail sections having projecting portions; a connecting membenhaving sockets to receive the projectin portions; means in the sock-' two rail ends having the ball portions there-' of cut away to the web and the ends of the web undercut; of a connecting part having extended "web and ball portions forming sockets at the ends, the sockets being open at the bottom and having end walls inclined in the same general direction as the ends of the rails, the side faces of the rail webs v and socket walls having co-acting portions scope of the appended claims.

to lock the parts against longitudinal sepas ration, and means between the beveledends topreventvertical displacement of one part with respect to the other.

4. 11 a rail joint, the combination with two ra1l ends havmg the ball portions thereof cut away to the web and the ends ofthe end walls 23. in order that the connecting web undercut; of a connecting part having extended web and ball portions forming V sockets at the ends, the sockets beingopen at the bottom and having end walls inclined in the same general direction as the ends of the rails, the side faces of'the rail websand socket walls having co-acting portions; to

lock the parts against longitudinal separa-f ends to permit vertical displacement of the connecting part.

5. In a rail joint, the combination ends of adjacent railshaving extended web and base flanges, said web portions having"- vertical side projections and having the;

ends thereof beveled and the fiangeshavingY having extended web and ball portions,saidi web portions being off-set laterally to relongitudinal recesses; of'a connecting part ceive the ends of the rail sections in the cutoutportions'thus formed, the-ends of the connecting part being beveled in the same direction as the ends of the rail section s," said web portions having vertical notches receiving the projections and permitting 1" vertical displacement of the "connecting" part but preventing longitudinal di sconnec tion of the rall sections with respectthereto wedges disposed between the beveled ends with theirenlarged portions upward tore sist vertical displacement of the parts, and

sition as to means for disposing the [wedges in such is In testimony whereof I have signed two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:'- '7 I OLGA SHULL I ELIZABETH I name to this specification in the presencefof SAMUEL s-riULLn i i 

